1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to containers and, more particularly, to a container for receiving waste or recyclable material provided with an automatic latch assembly for securing and locking closed a lid of the container. The automatic latch assembly prevents unauthorized access of the container while still allowing access from a refuse company to empty the container without a driver manually unlocking the latch assembly and while still allowing the container owner to access the container through a lock.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, residential trash containers are used to store accumulated household refuse until such household refuse can be collected by garbage trucks or the like. Typically, such refuse containers include a lid for concealing the household refuse collected therein, as well as to prevent wild animals or people from accessing the household refuse and also protecting the trash from the elements. With some containers, the lid is integrally mounted to a storage bin which contains the collected household refuse. Such containers, however, are awkward to use. Specifically, the trash container can be knocked over by wind, animals or people and spill the trash. Automatic latch assemblies with gravity activated mechanisms have been developed to allow dumping of containers without manually unlocking the latch assembly, yet still keeping the container locked at all other times. The gravity activated latch assemblies can be simply unlocked by tipping the container forward, therefore defeating the purpose of the lock.
The present invention overcomes this inherent design flaw by keeping container locked in any position or angle, even upside down until the refuse company dumps the container or the customer opens it.
The latch assembly according to the present invention is mounted on the outside of the container keeping it free from contamination and damage from waste while also providing a visual deterrent.